Ski Club Vail’s Lindsey Vonn, who leads the World Cup downhill standings and ranks second in the overall standings, reports regularly from the tour in collaboration with Denver Post ski writer John Meyer.
LIENZ, Austria — Winning the World Cup overall is a childhood dream, and I really want to accomplish that goal, but to do it this season isn’t very realistic.
Winning the overall, which is the most coveted honor in skiing, is so hard to do that it’s pretty much pointless to focus on accomplishing it.
I’m going to try to ski the best I can in my specialties — downhill and super-G — and get as many points as I can in those disciplines. Any points I get in slalom and giant slalom at this point are pretty much a bonus, because I don’t get to train in those events. I’m trying my best in those disciplines, but finishing in the top 10 or top 15 is pretty good for me in those events.
I try to stay focused on what I’m good at — downhill, super-G and the combined — and whatever I score in slalom and GS is icing on the cake.
My No. 1 goal this season is to win the downhill title, and so far I’m in good shape with two wins, a second-place finish and a fourth. I just have to keep going, keep being consistent.
It’s so hard to challenge for the overall. You have to be able to finish in the top five in every discipline. Right now my slalom isn’t quite there. I feel like my GS could be there, but I need a little bit more training to break through.
I probably will feel differently about the overall in future seasons. I’ve accomplished one of my childhood goals — winning two world championships medals last season — and things are looking good for the downhill title this season.
If I can win a downhill title, or a super-G title, it makes it easier to think about new goals. Right now I want to ski well and not risk too much. In the next two years, the overall title will be something I’ll be thinking more about targeting.
My teammate Resi Stiegler broke a forearm and a shin bone racing GS last week. Apparently, she went through the nets and hit a tree stump. We all went over to the hospital and hung out with her after the race.
She was in really good spirits, but it’s such a bummer to lose a girl like that for the rest of the season. She’s got so much energy and spunk, and she’s been doing so well, especially in slalom. It’s hard to lose a good teammate like that.
